Hallelujah
by TurboWiz70
Summary: I am giving Eli the best Christmas gift he could ever ask for . . . I just hope he likes it. EClare. One-shot. Read, review, enjoy!


Alright everyone, here is a fic that simplecrafter (check out her work) asked me to write and I have been in the mood to write this type of story lately, so why not? Future fic! Title inspired by the song "Hallelujah" by Paramore. Read, review, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or the song "Hallelujah".

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Hallelujah

For the past two weeks, I have not been myself. It started right before the holidays and my stomach was churning all the time; I was throwing up at least four times a day and it was driving crazy. At first I thought it was just because of all the rich food we had been eating; my husband Eli and I have been having dinner in a different house from each of our families almost every day and we had a lot of variety. I thought it was of my high consumption that I had been feeling well and I concluded that Eli's lack of vomiting was because he had a stronger stomach than me.

Now, however, I'm thinking differently. I was irritable, had fatigue, and I had mood swings. I thought it was PMS . . . until I missed my period. It was supposed to start three days ago; I would've thought I was simply late if it wasn't for all the other symptoms I had. Everything from my constant puking to my emotions to my missed cycle all added up to a single thing . . .

But I had to be sure.

That is why I am in here now. I bought a pregnancy test the day before, but did not have the time to use it since Eli and I were rushing around for the holidays. It was now Christmas Eve night and Eli and I had just gotten home from dinner with Mom, Glen, Jake, and Jenna. He was now getting ready for bed while I stood in the bathroom, rereading the directions on the box until I practically memorized them. It wasn't complicated; I pee on a stick then wait. I suppose it was because my emotions that were driving me crazy and I was terrified to learn the truth.

I could not figure out how to feel, considering all my emotions were mixed up. I was nervous, excited, hopeful, and apprehensive all at the same time. Eli and I were not planning on kids now, but we were thinking about it in the future. I, personally, was ready to start a family, but I was unsure how Eli felt; it had been a while since we had talked about this, so I hope that he felt the same way I did. The idea of bearing children also worried me a bit; I was twenty-five, so I knew my body would be able to handle it, but the fact that I had to alter my lifestyle on a dime was going to be a challenge and I was fearful that I would fail.

Despite my anxiety about being pregnancy and Eli's reaction, I still wanted it to be positive. I wanted to start a family; the idea of having my husband's child – a miracle that our love had created – was out of this world to me. It was that one solid reason that leveled out the playing field of negativity and positivity.

In that moment, I knew it was time to take the test; it was not like standing around in these silky, light blue pajamas was going to help. After inhaling and exhaling, I walked to the toilet. I was about to open the box of the test when a sudden knock came to the door; it was gentle, but it startled me and I gasped in surprise as I faced the door.

"Clare, are you okay?" Eli's voice asked.

"I'm fine," I breathed, calming myself down.

"Are you being sick again?" he asked me caringly.

"No, I'm just . . . flossing," I lied quickly.

"Okay," he said. "Um . . . can I talk to you when you're done?"

"Sure," I answered. Losing my nerve, I put the box on the marble countertop surrounding the sink and walked towards the door. I was too afraid of disappointment and too apprehensive about telling Eli that I just wanted to avoid the subject as long as possible; I would tell him sometime tonight eventually, but not right now.

I opened the door and stepped into our conjoining bedroom; I turned off the light to the bathroom and began giggling slightly when I saw Eli lying on our bed in boxers that were covered with the face of Santa Claus and the traditional hat the figure was known to wear. He turned his head to me and smirked before sitting up.

"I thought you hated those boxers," I told him, recalling how Bullfrog gave them to him as a gag gift last year.

"Well, tis the season," he shrugged.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked, walking towards the bed.

"Have a seat and I'll tell you," he said, patting a spot at the end of the mattress. I sat down, trying to focus on the man in front of me; once I was seated, he reached over to his bedside table, opened the drawer, and pulled out a small package wrapped in green paper. "I know it's a few hours early, but Merry Christmas."

"Eli," I said in awe as he handed me the present.

"Open it," he coaxed.

Obeying, I began stripping off the paper as Eli watched me anxiously. I tried focusing on the gift in front of me, but the test kept coming back into my mind; I wished that I did not waste so much time worrying and took the test when I had the chance. I had no idea how to feel, considering I could have been carrying a human inside me at this point, plus I wanted to be completely happy about this moment I was having with Eli instead of having fear in the back of my head. As I opened the rest of the present, however, my worries were put to rest.

I honestly did not know what to expect to be within the wrapping, but did not expect this. It was soothing and I could not help but smile. In my hand, I was holding a small pair of blue booties. I looked up at him with a grin on my face as tears pricked my eyes.

"Something you would like to tell me, Eli?" I asked teasingly.

Eli grinned back at me before he took both of my hands, the booties resting in them like an egg in an Easter basket.

"Do you still want kids?" he asked me.

"Yes," I answered. "Do you?"

He nodded. My heart suddenly became lighter; I now had no fear whatsoever about possibly being pregnant. If I was, Eli would support me and be there for me like he always has been; he would be happy if I was carrying his baby and he would not be in complete shock since it would not be what he wanted.

"What changed your mind?" I then asked, thrilled.

"You remember how we went to Imogen's and Fiona's a few days ago?"

"Yeah," I said, remembering how I almost threw up on their rug.

"Well, remember how they let me hold Luna?"

Imogen and Fiona had adopted a newborn baby a few months ago and, in truth, were over the moon when they were finally able to bring baby Luna home. When we went over to theirs, it had been the first time we had seen Luna in weeks, so we were excited to see her. Fiona even let go of her for a minute to allow me and Eli to hold her. As Eli held her in his arms, Imogen and I went to the kitchen while Fiona stayed behind to watch over her daughter.

I finally nodded in response to Eli's question and he continued.

"I've been doing a bit of thinking since then and . . . I just think we're ready to be parents."

I smiled at him, pleased that he had finally said the words I have been waiting so long to hear.

"So . . . you want us to have a baby?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"When?"

"As soon as possible."

Smiling wider than ever, I leaned in and gave Eli a powerful kiss on the lips; I could not remember feeling this happy and relieved in such a long time. Eli wanted to start a family and so did I . . . and there was a high possibility that I was about to give him the best Christmas present ever.

"You might just get your wish," I then whispered to him as I pulled away.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

I then put the booties down on the bed and moved towards the bathroom . . .

After three minutes of waiting for the test to analyze my urine, I reopened the bathroom door and walked back over to Eli, the test in my hands. He was looking at the booties and tracing their nap until I came back into the bedroom; he turned to me and I smiled at him, not being able to see the look on his face.

"Merry Christmas," I told him, handing him the test.

He looked at it and his lips curved into a smile that I haven't seen since our wedding day when I said "I do". He then jumped off the bed and captured me in his arms, holding me close to him. He captured my lips in for a kiss, feeling all his joy in that one kiss; I smiled against the kiss at the fact that I knew that this news had changed his life forever. He pulled away and continued smiling at me and he declared this to be:

"Best Christmas ever."

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I know it's a bit short, but I tried my best. I'm in a bit of a dry spell for "If We Hold On Together", so expect a few one-shots or more "Love Is Pain" or "You'll Be In My Heart" updates. Reviews, please? And don't forget to read the work of simplecrafter!


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